A great many methods and substances exist to fight fires. When dealing with fires aboard aircraft, buses, trains, etc., large amounts of water are generally not available and portable containers of fire suppression chemicals are carried. These containers are usually filled with CO.sub.2 or Halon compounds (for example, bromochlorodifluoromethane or bromotrifluoromethane). Their effectiveness depends upon the type of fire which is to be suppressed. For example: water, CO.sub.2, and some dry chemicals are effective on burning wood and paper fires (Class "A"). Halon compounds are suitable for use on fires caused by flammable fluids (Class "A" and Class "B"), and electrical origin fires (Class "C").
The instant invention is primarily concerned with extinguishers using fire suppression chemicals such as Halon compounds. For example, Halon compounds are the principal fire suppression chemicals used in aircraft jet engine nacelles, APU installations, and selected cargo compartments as well as other designated high-fire-risk areas. Unfortunately, due to the high cost and weight of fixed suppression system installations, there are numerous cargo compartments and other inaccessible areas of the aircraft which are not so equipped.
In those areas which are accessible, such as the cabin proper, lavatories, and galleys, etc., fire protection depends upon the use of small, limited-capacity, hand-held extinguishers. Because of their limited capacity, they are not always totally effective in suppressing such fires. An improvement to the hand-held-type extinguisher is disclosed in Applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 4,420,047, "Stowable Fire Suppression System for Aircraft Cabins and the Like". Here, a portable cart containing a tank filled with foam generating chemical is connectable to the aircraft's water supply system to provide fire suppressing foam. Thus, the limited capacity problem is solved. For the aforementioned inaccessible compartments and areas, it would be very desirable to have the capability of "flooding" them with Halon compounds, thereby providing the most effective fire suppression available.
Another patent of interest is U.S. Pat. No. 3,972,373, "Fire Extinguisher System for a Vehicle" by K. B. Nichols, et al. Nichols, et al. disclose a system wherein a hand-held fire extinguisher stored within the passenger compartment of a motor home can be connected from the exterior thereof to a manifold within the engine compartment to fight a fire therein. Such a system is unsuitable for use on an aircraft since there is limited fire-fighting capacity in a hand-held extinguisher. Furhtermore, the fire extinguisher is connected to the engine compartment from an external connection and not from within the passenger compartment, making the system unuseable in flight. Additionally, there is no disclosure of a long-term storage fluid isolation system, and means to precisely regulate the delivery of the fire suppression chemical.
Therefore, it is a primary object of the subject invention to provide a fire suppression system, wherein both accessible and inaccessible compartments aboard an aircraft can be provided with effective fire suppression chemicals.
It is another object of the subject invention to provide a fire suppression system that can provide fire suppression chemicals to both accessible and inaccessible compartments using a singl source of fire suppression chemical.
It is a further object of the subject invention to provide a portable fire suppression system which can be moved throughout the main compartment of the aircraft to fight localized fires therein, as well as those in inaccessible areas above and below the main compartment.